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President Lee: Trump "Only Person" Who Can Improve North Korea Relations; Trump Avoid Question On Reducing United States Troops In South Korea; Strikes On Gaza Hospital Kill 20, Including Five Journalists; Russian President Prepares For Trip To China; Trump Signs Executive Order to Create Specialized National Guard Units to Address Crime in U.S. Cities; Illinois Leaders Condemn Possible National Guard Deployment; Towering Dust Storm Covers Phoenix in Darkness; Venus Williams' Grand Slam Return Ends in Three Sets. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired August 26, 2025 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[02:00:29]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the South Korean president's charm offensive at the White House, flattery, gifts and potentially more than $100 billion in investments.

A horrific double strike on a Gaza hospital. Israel takes responsibility for the attacks, but says journalists were not targeted. National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. now carry weapons as Donald Trump orders a major expansion of their role.

Plus, imagine seeing this on your drive home. It looks like a scene straight out of a movie.

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ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM WITH ROSEMARY CHURCH.

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CHURCH: Good to have you with us. South Korea's president is upholding his country's promise, to "make American ship building great again."

President Lee Jae-myung is set to wrap up his first official trip to the U.S. with a visit to a Philadelphia shipyard owned by a South Korean firm later today. The visit will underscore major deals and investment plans between the longtime allies.

On Monday, Korean Air announced it intends to purchase 103 aircraft from Boeing. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group said it would increase its investment in the U.S. to $26 billion. South Korea's president said Seoul's biggest players are expected to invest a total of $150 billion in the U.S. That announcement came after he met U.S. President Donald Trump for their first ever summit on Monday.

The trip is seen as a major foreign policy test for Lee, who had little international experience before taking office in June. But he didn't come unprepared or empty handed. The South Korean leader gifted Mr. Trump two Make America Great Again cowboy hats, among other things.

Defense was a major topic of discussion between the two leaders, as was North Korea and its expanding nuclear capability.

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LEE JAE-MYUNG, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): President Trump and I have agreed to work closely together to establish peace and achieve denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

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CHURCH: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more from the White House.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump met with South Korean President Lee in the oval office on Monday, the latest world leader to come pay their respects and meet the American president.

But it was clear, for at least Mr. Trump's part, he had North Korea on his mind.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like to have a meeting. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un in the appropriate future.

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ZELENY: Now, during an hour-long session in the Oval Office, President Trump repeatedly heaped praise on North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, who, of course, Trump had a meeting with in 2018 and met with him twice in 2019, trying to forge a partnership, a relationship that did not end up going anywhere.

Of course, the president, as he said, North Korea had major potential, did not once mention the nuclear weapons program that it's at the center of, of course, the challenges and controversy that North Korea has, and certainly the conflict they have with their neighbors to the south.

But President Trump, even as he repeatedly praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he did also have a warm relationship, he said, with South Korea. He said he wanted to have a good relationship. There were some concerns about, would there be a tense meeting? Because President Lee is a new leader, of course, he won the presidency in June. Conservatives in South Korea are not thrilled by him, by any stretch, and President Trump gave some indication going into the meeting that he was also not seeing President Lee with very warm feelings. But that all dissipated.

So, there was some discussions about ship building, some discussions about economic growth. But one thing that hangs over the relationship, of course, between the U.S. and longtime ally South Korea is China, and that was something that was clearly not resolved in the open session, at least, but there was a lunch and a closed-door session where that was discussed even more.

And President Trump was asked about the decision if he would leave the number of U.S. troops in South Korea, and he did not answer that question. He said it's not appropriate to do so.

[02:05:00]

But clearly the meeting went well on Monday in the Oval Office, even as President Trump seemed to focus slightly more on North Korea than South.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: We go live to Seoul now, where I'm joined by Duyeon Kim, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Appreciate you joining us.

DUYEON KIM, ADJUNCT SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: When the U.S. president met with his South Korean counterpart at the White House Monday, the two leaders discussed China and North Korea. And while President Lee Jae-myung said they had very good conversations, the issue of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to deter North Korea is proving problematic, because the Trump administration is demanding Seoul take more responsibility for its own defense with an eye on using those same U.S. troops to help contain China. So, how difficult is this issue for South Korea?

KIM: Right. And now, this is a very sensitive issue for South Korea, both politically and practically, because U.S. troops, here on the Korean Peninsula are there really for South Korea to protect South Koreans and Americans, at large expat American community living here in South Korea.

And so, North Korea is South Korea's number one security threat, and so, for South Koreans, both on the left and right side of the aisle, to hear that some U.S. forces might be there only -- might be here, only to deter China bring some anxiety.

However, you know, officials that I have spoken to in the Trump administration have told me that it's not that the U.S. forces will be entirely focused on China. It's that during peace time, they will definitely be focused on North Korea, but a portion of them, during peace time would exhibit a posture that deters China. CHURCH: Right. And let's start by looking at those concerns that South Korea has about its vulnerability to the north.

KIM: Sure. Now, you know, for South Koreans, if there is any word, even if North Korea hears that, some of U.S. troops would be focused on China and not itself, South Koreans worry that North Korea might see this as an opportunity, as seeing America's footprint and posture as weaker, South Koreans are especially worried that in the event of a Taiwan contingency, that America would want to redeploy some of American troops from Korea to the Taiwan Strait. And that's actually what the United States wants to do. It wants to be able to use its forces flexibly. They call this strategic flexibility, and this is something that also brings anxiety to South Korean.

So, you know, I think the two governments basically have a lot to discuss, to negotiate. But I'm actually really glad that the two leaders, the two presidents, did not get into these details, because they are very thorny. I think it's best to leave it to what we call the working level officials, everybody under the president's to really hash this out in private and in closed doors, and also very frankly and candidly.

CHURCH: Yes, let's look a little closer at South Korea's concerns about being drawn into a war if China invades Taiwan.

I mean, how would that likely play out, and what would be South Korea's role in that?

KIM: Well, South Korea's role really remains to be seen. That's really up to South Korea to decide, also for the two allies to discuss. Typically, South Korea is a broader public would be most worried about, you know, sealed, thinking of the -- of, you know, sending your sons and daughters to somebody else's war. You know, that type of sentiment and thinking really concerns the broader public, but at the same time, it only makes sense to some degree that, you know, if you're an ally of a country, that you would help each other out.

And the United States and South Korea have what's called a mutual defense treaty. It's not only America here to defend South Korea, but also means that America's allies should be able to contribute to a certain degree to help secure America's security concerns. And so, these are details that the allies are trying to figure out, and I expect it to take some time.

CHURCH: Duyeon Kim, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

KIM: Thank you.

CHURCH: Israel is facing renewed outrage and condemnation after it launched back-to-back strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists and four medical workers.

The first strike on Monday hit the fourth floor, followed by a second attack that hit emergency responders who had rushed to the scene. A balcony used by journalists for an elevated view of Khan Yunis was struck.

Israel's military confirms, it carried out a strike in the area and has ordered a probe.

[02:10:02]

All this taking place as protesters have returned to the streets of Israel, causing major traffic disruptions. They are demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to bring the hostages home.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is following developments and has more now from Jerusalem.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The first strike on the Nasser Hospital complex on Monday morning hit the fourth floor of the building, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It was at that point that journalists, emergency workers and hospital staff responded to that initial strike, and minutes later, a second Israeli strike hit the hospital.

At least 20 people were killed, according to the hospital and the ministry of health, including five journalists working for international outlets. That list includes Mohammed Salama, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, as well as Hussam al-Masri, who had worked with Reuters; Mariam Abu Daqqa, who CNN had profiled and who worked with the Associated Press and others; as well as freelance journalists, Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmed Abu Aziz. Other journalists were injured.

Gaza civil defense, emergency responders, say one of their crew members was killed in the strike and many others wounded as well. The scenes from the hospital itself on these pair of strikes absolutely horrific as the morning unfolded.

The Israeli military issued a pair of statements throughout the day, on Monday. They said, IDF troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. We are aware of reports that harm was caused to civilians, including journalists. They say they will thoroughly investigate these strikes and be as transparent as they can about the investigation, but note the wording here.

They only acknowledge one strike, and they acknowledged striking near the hospital, not the direct hits we saw on the hospital itself, separated by only a couple of minutes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on Monday evening where he acknowledged the deaths of journalists and emergency responders. He said, "Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians. The military authorities are conducting a thorough investigation."

An Israeli security official familiar with the details of the initial investigation said Israeli troops saw a camera on the hospital and believed it belonged to Hamas.

They got authorization for a drone strike, but it was then two tank shells that hit the hospital. One targeting the camera, another targeting first responders who had gone to the scene after the first shell hit the hospital, in what's called a double tap attack, an attack that appears intentionally targeting the first responders and emergency workers who go to the site of an attack. And that is why we are seeing international outrage about these.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says a total of 192 journalists before Monday's attack, had been killed by Israel in Gaza. The head of the CPJ says that both of these attacks, both the first strike and the second, look like Israel has committed unlawful killings, war crimes, both in the deliberate killing of the Reuters cameraman, and in the so-called Double Tap attack, the Palestinian journalist syndicate said Israel had carried out a, quote, heinous massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces, and the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian territory, said, it was, "among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international Media since the Gaza war began."

Israel has not allowed journalists to report independently in Gaza since the start of the war. At this point, Israel says the military is thoroughly and deeply investigating what happened here. Now, it's a function of waiting to see where this investigation unfolds and what it uncovers about accountability and whether there is anyone who is held responsible for the authorization for that strike on the hospital itself, or for the double tap attack that killed journalists, emergency workers, and hospital staff.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

CHURCH: Australia is expelling the Iranian ambassador, after its intelligence agency found that Iran was behind at least two anti- Semitic attacks. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, says Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard call was behind an arson attack on a Sydney restaurant and a synagogue in Melbourne. He called it, "extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression."

The Iranian ambassador and other diplomatic staff have seven days to leave Australia. It's the first time Australia has expelled a foreign ambassador since World War II.

Vladimir Putin is planning a return visit to China.

[02:14:28]

We will find out what he and his team will be trying to achieve in Beijing when we come back. Do stay with us.

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Welcome back everyone.

This week, more than 20 world leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, are expected to gather in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin for the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. For Putin, this will be his first trip to China since his summit in Alaska with the U.S. president. It will also be a chance for him to meet one on one with China's President Xi Jinping.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to Beijing and China at the end of this week, not just for talks with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, but also to take part in a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which, of course, also brings other heads of government and heads of state to the Chinese capital.

Now, the Russians understand that their bilateral relations with the Chinese are among the most important in the world, certainly, the personal relations between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have only grown over the past couple of years.

[02:20:01]

And the Russians have acknowledged that, and they have dispatched the Speaker of Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, to Beijing already for talks with senior Chinese officials.

Now, one of the missions that Volodin has acknowledged that he has there is to speak about circumventing what the Russians call illegal sanctions against the economies, not just of Russia, but of course, of China as well.

Of course, speaking about sanctions levied by the United States and also by those secondary tariffs that have been threatened by the Trump administration against countries that purchase oil from Russia, as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues.

That, of course, is a big threat to the Chinese economy, and the Chinese have said that they are happy about the fact that diplomacy is now back on between the U.S. and Russia. Certainly, the Trump administration saying that they believe that a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine could be reached.

Now, the Russians, for their part, also say that that could be the case. And the Russians have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin certainly is willing to meet with Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But the Russians are also saying that, so far, the conditions for that are not set yet.

One of the things, for instance, that they have said is Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, has said that the Russians want a say in possible security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of any deal.

So, certainly, there are still a lot of roadblocks that appear to be in the way, while the Russians say that the diplomacy continues.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

CHURCH: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst, is also a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Always appreciate you being with us.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: David, in a new article for The New York Times, you wrote about President Trump's personal diplomacy with Russia's President Putin, and that the result is a strategic muddle. What did you mean by that? You actually called it strategic incoherence.

SANGER: Well, Rosemary, what I meant by that is this. The president has been very clear that he believed that the solution to the Ukraine problem would only come about when he and President Putin could meet together.

And they did so 10 days ago in Alaska, I was covering it as many from CNN and other news organizations were also out covering it.

And 10 days later, I think it's fair to say that we are probably further away from a real end to the fighting than we were before then. And the strategic incoherence I was referring to comes down to this.

At moments, the president describes the United States as a mediator, someone standing between these two warring parties and trying to come up with a solution. In that regard, it's sort of parallel to what Teddy Roosevelt did when he settled the Russo-Japanese war 120 years ago, and ended up with a Nobel Peace Prize for it, something they -- that President Trump would very much like.

But at other moments, the U.S. describes itself as a country that would participate in the security arrangements for Ukraine and would continue to provide, say, intelligence or maybe air support for Ukraine. So, it's unclear what the U.S. role is, and it gets all the more confusing when President Trump, at various moments, picks up Russia's talking points on this.

CHURCH: And now, President Trump is talking again about the possibility of severe consequences. But there is also this hint that he is stepping away, that he's lost interest. What's your reading of that?

SANGER: That's exactly right. I mean, at some moments, he says, if there is no cease fire, there will be severe consequences. Then, he went to Alaska and emerged from that saying, you know, I don't really think cease fires are the answer at all, because they can be violated. Well, that's certainly true. We're going to go for the larger peace agreement. Well, if I was in reach, sure.

He then, said that he expected President Putin and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to meet together before he joined them and met in a three- way session. That was supposed to happen by the end of last week. Not only didn't it happen, but Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said there is no agenda for it happening.

So, you know, usually what happens in these cases is that people do the diplomatic spade work first and then the president makes an announcement. President Trump is doing this in reverse.

[02:25:01] CHURCH: There seems to be, or tell me if there is, this lack of understanding of what's going on here between Ukraine and Russia. And a lack of understanding that Vladimir Putin would never want to be seen on the same stage as Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Why is that not resonating? Why is that not understood by either Donald Trump or his vice president?

SANGER: It's a great question, and you know, obviously, they've been told that they must intuit it. They don't want to acknowledge it. So, for Putin, it's fairly easy, if you were sitting there, one on one with Zelenskyy, then you are raising Zelenskyy's profile and acknowledging him as the duly elected president of a neighboring country.

They consider his election to have been illegitimate. They don't base just based on President Putin speeches in 2021. It's fair to say that he doesn't believe Ukraine should be, or ever was, a legitimate independent country.

So, it's asking a lot to expect that Putin and Zelenskyy would sit down and meet. They did meet one time, I think it was around 2019, but that was obviously well before the current conflict.

CHURCH: David Sanger, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Still to come, the governor of Illinois tells the U.S. president, do not come to Chicago.

More on the threats from Washington to deploy the National Guard to curb crime in the city. That's just ahead.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President Donald Trump is expanding his crackdown on crime. He has signed an executive order calling for the creation of specialized National Guard units to be deployed around the U.S. The president suggests Chicago may be his first target, but the state's governor has a stark warning for President Trump. Don't come to Chicago. We don't want you or need you here. CNN's Whitney Wild has more.

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GOV. J.B. PRITZKER, (D) ILLINOIS: It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Illinois top leaders firing back at President Donald Trump's plan to send the National Guard to Chicago. Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson.

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, (D) CHICAGO: We are being targeted because of what and who we represent.

WILD: Are people scared?

ANDRE VASQUEZ, CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL: They're concerned, right? I don't know. Traumatized is probably the best way I could describe it.

WILD (voice-over): Andre Vasquez serves on Chicago City Council and heads the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. He calls the president's plan pure bluster.

WILD: Is the National Guard coming to Chicago a realistic crime reduction measure?

VASQUEZ: I don't even think they believe that. I think that they just want to make it look as if they're doing something.

WILD: How do you think the city's going to react if they see National Guard troops rolling down Michigan Avenue?

VASQUEZ: Well, I think there's different reactions, right? I think folks are prepared because there've been neighbor led rapid response teams if ICE is showing up.

WILD (voice-over): Vasquez points out there are residents who may welcome the National Guard. City data shows double-digit drops in several major crime categories, including car jackings and robberies. But the city still struggles with violence. So far this year, 262 people have been murdered and more than 1,200 have been shot.

Ameena Haqque, a lifelong Chicagoan told us she supports the president's strategy because too often here, she says crime is normalized.

AMEENA HAQQUE, CHICAGO RESIDENT: The residents deserve more. They deserve to be -- feel safe. The crime should not take over the city. The crime should not make residents feel like they can't live everyday life.

WILD: Illinois leaders have stressed over and over that they have heard nothing about this deployment from the federal government. And they say that means that this is not a sincere effort to reduce crime. I asked Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, if anyone from his staff has reached out to the White House and he said, they have not reached out to the White House. He believes they have no reason to do so, that there's no emergency that would warrant the National Guard. And they simply have no need for the White House's help.

What was abundantly clear today is that there is no communication between Illinois leaders and the White House. Meanwhile, the Illinois Attorney General stressed that they plan to fight this in court as soon as they're able.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Turning day into night in an instant, a massive wall of dust envelopes Phoenix in darkness. More on the impact of this severe storm after a short break.

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[02:38:57]

CHURCH: Imagine flying into Phoenix and seeing this, a towering wall of dust rolled over the city on Monday, causing damage and delays at the airport. 60,000 customers were left without power as the dust was followed by severe thunderstorms. This is what it's like to be inside the dust storm. Day turns into night and visibility drops to near zero. It's like being inside a blizzard, but one full of desert soil.

Dust storms are common in Arizona, but this was an especially severe one. An intense wall of dust like this is known as a haboob.

Well, what was said to be a triumphant return to the court has come to an end for Venus Williams. The tennis legend returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open, welcomed by a roaring crowd celebrating her return to Grand Slam Tennis. After two years away, Williams delivered powerful ground strokes and big serves before losing in three sets. At 45, Williams was the oldest player at the U.S. Open since 1981 when Renee Richards played at the age of 47.

[02:40:00]

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then, I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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